A Story To Live By
 by Ann Wells
 My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted
out a tissue-wrapped package.  "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is
lingerie."  He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was
exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag
with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.  "Jan bought this the
first time we went to New York, at  least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore
it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the
occasion."  He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other
clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft
material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me.
"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is
a special occasion."
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when
I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an
unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California
from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all
the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things
that she had done without realizing that they were special.
I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life.. I'm
reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view
without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with
my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever
possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not  endure. I'm
trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every
special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the  first
camellia blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory
is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of
groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special
parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that
function as well as my party-going friends'.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If
it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do  it
now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she
wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would
have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a
few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like
to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner,her favorite food. I'm
guessing-I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if
I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good
Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I
hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days.
Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how
much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or
save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.
And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.
If you've received this it is because someone cares for you
and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care.
If you're too busy to take the few minutes that it would
take right now to forward this, would it be the first time you didn't do
that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships?   I
can tell you it certainly won't be the last.  I don't have to make up silly
stories about people being hit by buses or crushed by falling disco balls
for not sending this letter on. You've seen the result of this neglect in
your own relationships that you have allowed to fade, dissolve, and fall
into disrepair.
Take this opportunity to set a new trend.  Take a few minutes
to send this to a few people you care about, just to let them know that
you're thinking of them.  It's even better if they're not the people you
already correspond with every week.  The more people that you send this to,
the better.   And the better you'll get and reaching out to those you care
about. Send this to those that you care about. Do it, and reap what you sow:
luck in love, people who care for you, and that warm glowy feeling that
comes from loving others. Don't do it, and suffer the consequences of being
alone, wrapped up in your own affairs, and being too busy to do the things
you actually care about.
May love litter your life with blessings!
JUST SEND IT!!

"You've got to dance like nobody's watching, and love like it's never going
to hurt."
People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need
to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there."

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
'Pooh!' he whispered.
'Yes, Piglet?'
'Nothing,' said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.
'I just wanted to be sure of you.'"


I will not drag you along; I will not leave you alone; I will stand by you
and have my hand there for you to hold when you need to.